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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The water is too ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. squash — the sport
  5. firm — decided
  6. squash — to crush
  7. cold — an illness
  8. firm — a company
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. firm — steady
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. kid — child
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rock — music
  17. vault — a safe
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bore — to tire
  24. cold — not warm

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com